Spaces: Reaching new heights on a hill

Updated 7:05 pm, Friday, March 22, 2013

Home developer Will Holder made an offer on his home, a back view shown here, on the first day he saw it.

Home developer Will Holder made an offer on his home, a back view shown here, on the first day he saw it.

Photo: Photos By Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News

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The kitchen was moved to the front of the house to expand on the views in the dining area.

The kitchen was moved to the front of the house to expand on the views in the dining area.

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A wood and wrought iron door complements metalwork found throughout the home.

A wood and wrought iron door complements metalwork found throughout the home.

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Ornate metalwork decorates a window.

Ornate metalwork decorates a window.

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A view of the living room in Will Holder's home Monday March 18, 2013 in San Marcos, Tx.

A view of the living room in Will Holder's home Monday March 18, 2013 in San Marcos, Tx.

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Artwork is displayed on textured walls.

Artwork is displayed on textured walls.

Spaces: Reaching new heights on a hill

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SAN MARCOS – When Will Holder saw the 1970s home in the neighborhood above Aquarena Springs, he knew the house was for him. The house on the hill offered an amazing view of Old Main at Texas State University, and the main floor and deck sat level with the tree tops.

“I saw it on a Sunday afternoon and knew right away I wanted to make an offer,” said Holder, a home developer who divides his time between here and Houston.

The former owner couldn't resist the offer Holder made.

“I told him, 'Let me buy this house right now, and you can live here for $1 a month until May.' That's really what got me this house,” he says.

Holder was familiar with the area because his sister lives in another house on the hill.

When he bought the home in 2006, Holder put his background in home development to work for him, making the most of the location and dressing up the outside of the multilevel house that's supported by 25-foot concrete columns to compensate for the sloping lot.

He painted the brick exterior a sophisticated neutral and added wood shutters — placing open ones beside the large window in the kitchen and strategically inserting closed ones along a long, blank wall to give the illusion of more windows. He replicated circular ornate metalwork on the second-floor window.

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Wrought iron straps and clavos and a speakeasy door on the knotty alder entry door echo the decorative metalwork on the second-floor circular window. He used similar hardware on the garage doors. A half-price find from Hobby Lobby — a decorative medieval-inspired door — looks easily in place in what was once a barren corner on the outside of the house.

Inside, Holder combined existing textures with new ones and updated others, for a warm, inviting space that offers surprising elements. Floors are hand-scraped, distressed, tongue-and-groove teakwood. The textured walls were updated with Ralph Lauren Antiquing Glaze. Holder decided to leave the ceilings as is, with a drop stamp painting technique texture. In the bedrooms, he added bead board along the window-lined walls. He also added the crown molding in the house.

Holder swapped the location of the kitchen and dining area to take advantage of the views from the back of the house. The kitchen, which had faced the back of the house and offered only a small horizontal sliding window, moved to the front of the house. The dining area now takes in the panorama through a 6-foot by 6-foot window.

In the kitchen, Holder added a split-stone backsplash. He used the same stone to update the fireplace and on the back of the shelving unit wall in the living area.

Holder converted the garage into a game room and den. He bought the adjacent lot and plans to add a master suite on the main level. Currently, the master suite is on the second level.

In both bathrooms, he made changes, including removing the fiberglass tubs and adding terra cotta tile.

Throughout the house, he upgraded lighting and replaced the aluminum windows with double-pane windows.

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House rules

Unique finds: A large square coffee table with ottomans that slide under it helps make the room comfortable. “When I have friends over, they always want to prop their feet up,” Holder says.

Creative resources: When Holder was looking for help with interior design in the house, he saw that a Texas State University student was one of four finalists in a design contest in Houston. She helped with colors and with placement of furniture and artwork.

Outside bar: A walk-out deck off of the living area was outfitted with a 26-foot-long piece of cedar on top of the railing. “I wanted to have a bar area,” Holder says. A built-out section alongside the deck accommodates the grill without taking away space from main outdoor entertainment area and view.

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mySA.com: To see additional photos and previous Spaces stories online.